SURVIVAL IN THE DESERT | |||||||||
Survival in the desert depends largely on resourcefulness. Your chances of success will be greatly increased if you have learned what can be used for food, where to look for it, and how to prepare it. ANIMALS FOR DESERT FOOD In most deserts animals are scarce. Their presence depends upon water and vegetation, and there is little of either in the true desert. Look for animals at water holes, in grassy canyons or low-lying areas, dry beds, where there is a greater chance of moisture, or under rocks and bushes. Animals are most commonly seen at dusk or early morning. Try kissing the back of your hand to make squealing sounds; you may attract birds. Sand grouse, ducks, bustards, pelicans and even gulls have been seen over some desert lakes. Trap them in baited dead-falls or use a hook or gorge. Most common animals are small rodents (rabbits, prairie dogs, rats), snakes, and lizards, They are generally found near brush or water and are your best and most reliable sources of food. Rodents may be caught by finding their burrows and catching the animals with loop snare, trap or deadfall when they come out at dusk or dawn. Look for land snails on rocks and bushes. PRESERVING EXCESS FOOD In desert areas, meat from mature animals is wiped dry with a cloth, cut in arm-size strips, and buried raw and uncovered, without salt, in dry sand 6 to 8 inches deep, Meat prepared in this way will keep for at least three years. It resembles dried beef. Before cooking, natives soak the meat in water to soften it and remove sand. Meat from young animals can be stored in this way after the water has been pressed out. PLANT LIFE Locating water in all desert regions, whether torrid or frigid, will be your primary concern. Ordinarily, whenever you find water in desert areas, plant food will also be available. But, when standing water is not available, your only chance will be to utilize any plants there may be in the vicinity. Every desert has its own peculiar assortment of plants and the notable absence of man in most desert regions has decreased your chances of finding widely dispersed and commonly known vegetables and fruits. For instance, you can expect to find almost no American kind of desert plant on the deserts of the Old World. The converse is also true. EDIBLE PLANTS Many desert plants will look dry and unappetizing, but start out by testing all the soft parts and digging to find the roots of trees and shrubs. Then peel off the root bark. You may find some soft material that is edible, and water may drip from the cut root surface. Next, try all the soft parts above ground, flowers, fruit, seeds, young shoots, and bark. Thick fleshy plants will offer the best source of both food and water. In the open desert at certain seasons you may find some grass seeds or bean bushes. These beans grow on trees or bushes, many known as acacia trees in the Old World, which are often thorny and similar to the mesquite or catclaw in the Southwestern United States. The beans are usually bitter, but prolonged soaking will make them edible. The prickly pear (a kind of cactus), native of North and South America, has fruit that is edible. Beware of cactus-like plants of the Old World with milky looking juice; these are poisonous. Caution: Avoid all desert plants with milky juice. They will cause, much irritation to exposed skin surfaces. A white ooze running from a broken stem is a test. |
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